Luvs to Scrap

Hi and welcome to the board. My DS and DH have celiac. I try to make all meals gluten-free now to make things simpler. Tinkyada pasta was a lifesaver when we discovered it since it tastes "normal". I still buy bread for myself but other than that we are pretty much gluten-free. My daughter is still using up some cereal we had before diagnosis too. I am buying snacks that are safe for both kids so that it is less confusing and there is less chance for cross contamination. My DD is 19 months and is always "sharing" everything. I do the "glop" method on our condiments for now which Danna Korn describes in her book Raising Celiac Kids. Really recommend that book too. If a knife gets contaminated with my bread we get a new one out. I bake almost all of the gluten-free products the guys eat. Bette Hagman's gluten-free Gourmet cookbooks have really helped me to adjust to this gluten-free baking too. We did discover cereal bars by EnviroKidz and pretzels from EnerG that my soon to be 4 year old loves. Take care! Kendra

Hi, what cake recipe did you use?

This is a quote from gluten-free Betsy in the Baking and Cooking section of this forum. The eating gluten free website listed at the bottom of the recipe has some other good recipes on it. The 3 I tried so far were all good. Thanks Betsy!!!!!

This is a great chocolate cake. No one can ever tell it's gluten-free. The gluten-free mix called for is Bette Hagman's mix (6c. rice, 2 c. potato starch, 1 c. tapioca starch)

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 3/4 c. gluten-free flour

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

2 c. sugar

3/4 c. cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 c. boiling water

Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. margarine

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat eggs well. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients. Slowly add boiling water, and mix well. Batter will be extremely thin. Pour into a greased pan. Bake a 9x13 pan for 35-40 min. Bake a 13x18 pan for 17-20 minutes.

Frosting: Cream together cream cheese and margarine. Beat in powdered sugar. Add vanilla.

from www.eatingglutenfree.com

I use brown rice flour instead of white rice when I make Bette Hagman's gluten-free Mix. We used normal cake frosting for the tractor cake but the cream cheese stuff sounds good. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes if you want to go that route. Instead of frosting them we put some chocolate chips on each one and they are wonderful! Kendra

I am excited. Luke turns 4 Wednesday but we had his party today. His gluten-free chocolate tractor cake turned out awesome and he loved it. (I had give my MIL the special ingredients and recipe and she made Betsy's chocolate cake and also cupcakes) There are only 5 cupcakes left of the 24 and we also had the frosted cake so I know they liked it and weren't just being polite. (Only had 12 people there) We had turkey, corn, applesauce jello and then cake and ice cream.

Anyway, just thought I would share that something went right the first time around for a change. The cake was very rich tasting and moist and yummy. No one complained about missing the gluten It just feels great to be able to do something "normal" for my son. Kendra

If you want to make bread Betty Hagman's gluten-free Gourmet Bakes Bread is still the best I think, because there are so many whatever-free alterntives, and there's so much advice about how to substitute.

The 4 Flour Bread mix at the beginning of that cookbook works dairy free. I tried it when I was baking bread for a friend who was trying the gluten-free/CF diet for her son. I would recommend all of Bette Hagman's cookbooks if you could check them out of the library interlibrary loan. (I know the Comfort foods one is available in KS interlibrary loan because I borrowed it before I bought it) All of her cookbooks have lots of options in the recipes to deal with different allergies including dairy. Her cookbooks have been a lifesaver for me since my DH and now DS are on the gluten-free diet. Kendra

When it was Luke's turn for snack I sent grapes for everyone. I am thinking about bananas next time. He wants to bring some of my homemade gluten-free muffins sometime too. (am waiting a little while on the muffins--we think they are good but don't want one of the kids saying gross and ruining Luke's taste for them.!) Pudding, jello, cheese, fruit, veggies are all things I am planning to send. Kendra

Lanigan seems to be doing a little bit better. He has gained some more weight, and hasn't had a fever since the last time I posted.(about 2 weeks now)... He has thrown up a lot in the last 2 days, with no change in his diet, but I am starting to get use to and even almost predict these cycles. He seems much happier though, so mommy feels better. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

I am so glad Lanigan is doing better. I pray every night for his improvement and that your doctors can figure out how to help him to thrive. Take care--I will continue to pray for you guys. Kendra

I don't ever hot water bath mine either. We just put wax paper between the jar and lid and then freeze after it has had 24 hours to set up. Mom and I made strawberry rhobarb and then peach jam when I was visiting last time. Homemade always tastes better Kendra

I use white rice flour, but I don't think there's much problem with using brown instead. (Except that the brown tends to spoil faster because of the higher fat content (according to Bette Hagman).) So if you want to use brown rice flour, just make a smaller batch of flour mix, or refrigerate it.

Betsy

I used brown rice flour in the mix when I made Betty's cake and it was great. Actually I always use brown rice flour in my baking because it has more nutrition in it. Kendra

GREAT NEWS <<<<<

SHE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHe went to get her daughter..........

OUR PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED

Please hold that baby tight and continue to pray for our children....

CIndy

Praise the Lord! What an answer to prayer. I will continue to pray that you get the same wonderful news later this month when you go to court too, Cindy. Yeah! Kendra

My DH started the gluten-free diet last Oct after the doctor diagnosed him. He started feeling somewhat better immediately and got conistently better until his eighth month when he commented he was doing great. Now, in the last month or two, he seems to be having a lot of gluten symptoms again. At first I thought it was CC since he eats out with the guys once a week. But he has been being careful and when I suggested dairy he said he was fine with it. I told him that a lot of people on the forum's doctors had them give up dairy while they were healing. Now he is beginning to wonder if there is something to dairy making him sick. He ate a burger with gluten-free bun and then a sundae Wed night and got sick. Then Thursday for lunch he had a shake and got really sick. He doesn't seem to react to a little cheese on a casserole or pizza but seems to have problems if his meal is mainly dairy. I am actually impressed that he is considering it since he was so adamant about it not being the problem before.

Anyway, I was wondering if there is a test we need to do to figure out if dairy is the problem or if we just eliminate it for awhile. (I know more about celiac than our doctor--his words, not mine--so I don't want to bother asking him. I thought I would ask you since you are the experts!) By eliminating dairy does that mean EVERYTHING like when I eliminated gluten from his diet? He wants to know if dairy damages his villi like gluten or if it just causes similar symptoms. Do any of you off dairy have any tips to give us? It seems like most of my gluten-free recipes seem to call for some form of dairy or another. Also, is this possibly a temporary thing or is it life long like being gluten-free is?

Thanks in advance for all of your help. This forum has been so wonderful for me to help with adjusting to my DH and DS's diet. Kendra

This is wonderful news, Nancy I am so happy for you! Kendra

This is a great chocolate cake. No one can ever tell it's gluten-free. The gluten-free mix called for is Bette Hagman's mix (6c. rice, 2 c. potato starch, 1 c. tapioca starch)

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 3/4 c. gluten-free flour

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

2 c. sugar

3/4 c. cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 c. boiling water

Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. margarine

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat eggs well. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients. Slowly add boiling water, and mix well. Batter will be extremely thin. Pour into a greased pan. Bake a 9x13 pan for 35-40 min. Bake a 13x18 pan for 17-20 minutes.

Frosting: Cream together cream cheese and margarine. Beat in powdered sugar. Add vanilla.

from www.eatingglutenfree.com

I just wanted to comment that we made Betsy's chocolate cake recipe and it is AWESOME. It did not taste gluten-free and was better than some "normal" chocolate cakes. My nephews who are NOT used to gluten-free food gobbled it down. I was trying to make it look like a choc zuchinni cake my son was missing out on so we just put choc chips on top instead of frosting. It was wonderful. We are planning on using to make Luke's tractor birthday cake next weekend--we will use frosting this time. Kendra

Concerned Mom,

I just wanted to let you know that my thoughts and prayers are with you as you go to court tomorrow. Hopefully the truth will win! I will be watching this thread hoping to read good news tomorrow night. Take care! Kendra

Celina, I will be praying that it will be a smooth transition for your daughter. It is a blessing that they were both diagnosed as children so that they will be able to enjoy a healthier life and not have so much to recover from. My DH was diagnosed first and then my DS. The 2nd diagnosis is easier in that you already know what to expect. DS's has been harder since he is a kid and I am trying to learn how to deal with all the extra challenges that come with a kid on a special diet. But now DS has someone to eat like at our house and that helps a lot. I have DD on an almost gluten free diet so that she and her brother can be eating the same things. I try to bake gluten-free treats so that they both can enjoy. Take care! Kendra

Thanks for your post Kendra. My DS has always had fairly loose stools. They are often fairly light in clour and very very smelly (which I think has contributed to him being too scared to poo in the toilet/ potty - he still has to have a nappy for poos). the other thing that bothers me is he is always complaining about being tired. Our GP took one look at him though and said he's obviously healthy because he's doing great developmentally. So was I at that age!! I'm left not knowing whether I'm being over sensitive and paranoid that DS will develop coeliac, or whether I've got good cause to be concerned

As his bloods were negative and I wouldn't want him to go through a biopsy, deitary challenge must be the only way forward. If I do do this, how long would he have to be gluten-free for at his age to notice a difference such that I could convince the drs?

Luke has been on the diet since mid June and is having some more solid stools but has a way to go in that department. (of course he has gotten glutened a couple times too by accident) I'm not sure how long your son would need to be on the diet--my DH said he was feeling noticeably better after 6 months which is forever with a kid! How old is your son? Mine will turn 4 in Sept and because of the D we are still having pooping potty training issues.

We haven't done genetic testing but would that be an option too? Then you would know if he has the celiac gene. Good luck. Kendra

I'm worried about my DS now. He's been complaining all this week of his stomach hurting and he's been ravenous....his coeliac panel was clear and he's 95 centile for weight and height, so the doctors don't think he's got coeliac...

My DS was diagnosed with celiac in June and he has always been at 95 percentile or higher on his height and weight too. Dr didn't think we needed to test but due to excesssive D and stomachaces we insisted and now I am glad we did. I wish that drs realized that "healthy looking" kids can have celiac too.

Are you thinking of trying the gluten-free diet to see if it helps your DS?

Kendra

I will add your situation to my prayer list too. It is just scary how someone who loves and cares for their baby can get them taken away by false accusations. Take care! Kendra

Tanya,

I am sure you have already tried this brand but thought I would recommend the Avent sippy cup in case you hadn't. My kids would NOT every take bottles and DS didn't like sippy cups either. This was the only one he would take. The one with the white sippy thing is the softest and she could chew on it too if she needed to explore. The sippy inserts work in Avent bottles too.

Congrats on giving Megan breastmilk this long. You have given her a great gift and you should be proud of yourself. If your production is going down and she isn't using as much I think it would be ok to quit. Like you said you have some in the freezer. I finally had to throw all mine out. It was so hard. If and when she is ready for cereal I used my pumped milk to make it and both kids seemed to like it that way.

So glad to hear she is on the growth chart for weight. Great news. We keep praying for all to go well. Kendra

I am praying for Lanigan daily. I hope that you can get the referrals you need to get to a dr that will figure out what will do to HELP! Hugs! Kendra

I use Bette Hagman's 4 flour bread mix that is in her Gluten Free Gourment Bakes Bread cookbook. I can mix a bunch up at once and then only add a few ingredients and it is ready to bake in the bread machine. It also works in the traditional pans too. I think you can buy the 4 flour mix from Authentic foods but I always just make my own from her measurements in the cookbook.

My guys like EnerG foods Tapioca dinner rolls and hamburger buns too. Kendra

Thanks Nini for the recipe. We tried it this morning and Luke is having a blast playing with play dough again. I saved half of the batch for him to take to preschool on Thurs and the rest is for home. I think he is glad he gets to play with play dough with no wheat in it as he would say. Kendra

I talked to one of the wheat farmer moms who farms a field next to us this morning and she said that if they have a "modern" combine (not really old from the 50s or something) it should harvest all of the wheat heads and there shouldn't be gluten left in the straw. She suggested asking what the straw if from--wheat or something else. Rye isn't a concern unless it is a wheat field and the better the farmer the less likely they will have rye in with their wheat. (They get docked for it when they try to sell their wheat). Also if it is hay not straw you should find out what kind of hay--she said alfalfa, broam or some other kinds shouldn't cause a reaction with gluten intollerant people. (Of course my allergies act up for entirely different reasons around hay!)

Hope this helps and doesn't make the whole situation even more confusing. Since I live in southern Kansas we have lots of wheat fields around here! Kendra

Natures Path Corn Flakes which are lightly sweetened with fruit juice are good too. My guys are gluten-free, not me, and I think they taste normal and use them in all my recipes that call for cornflakes. Kendra

DH was on the diet for 6 months before he noticed some consistent improvement and commented at 8 months that he is really starting to feel better. I wish there was a way to fast forward the healing time. My DS is in his 2nd month and it seems to take forever. Good luck! Kendra

I'll answer for my DH who is the gluten-free one at our house. PEPSI or Coke. He says it is his one great pleasure. Kendra